A Change In
by SuchStuffasDreamsareMadeOn
Summary: Life changes. But what is a Marauder to do when a future of responsibility dawns over them after Hogwarts? Changes happen but it's how a Marauder deals with those changes that defines who he is and sets the course for the rest of their lives.
1. Marauders

"I swear if you blokes don't get your arses down here in the next thirty seconds, I'm ditching the whole lot of you."

James Potter laughed to himself as he and Sirius Black jumped down the staircase that connected their dormitory to the common room below. He dropped his bag to the floor lookeding around at the empty room and saw only the fire flicker its dying light. The rest of the Gryffindor House had long ago gone to bed and only the three 7th years found the need to be up at this hour. And what an important need they had! "Wormtail! You'd better hurry. Moony's making empty threats he has no intention of ever keeping!"

Remus groaned and rolled his eyes as he looked up the staircase again for his third friend.

"Aw, don't blame Mooney, mate. It is his time of the month," Sirius said with a chuckle.

"What have I told you about calling it that?!" Remus hissed at them in a low yet spiteful voice. He now had his shifting and uneasy attention back on the two boys nonchalantly leaned against the wall trying to look cool despite the fact that no one was around. The werewolf's finger was dangerously close to Sirius' face.

"If memory recalls, you said not to mention it in public and the last time I checked—wait hold on…" Sirius took another good look at the room. "…Ah, yes. No one's here."

Remus let out a frustrated groan and walked back to the staircase, "Wormtail!"

"Coming…oomph."

As Peter came down the staircase, his foot slipped from under him and he caught the railing as his friends laughed. Peter turned a light shade of red before grabbing his bag and following his still somehow laughing friends out the portal. "You know," James said as they slipped out the Gryffindor common room. "After all these years, it's still funny to watch Wormtail fall down things."

"…Like the common room stairs—"

"—or the dungeon stairs—"

"—or the moving stairs—"

"—Mate, why haven't we learned to keep you away from stairs?"

"Oh, shut up."

"Um, yeah, not to interrupt your fun guys but I have 15 minutes before—"

"Oh keep your non-wolf skin on, Mooney. We're coming," James sighed as they ran after the anxious werewolf. "Besides, we wouldn't want to miss out on tonight's adventure. Tonight is a very special night."

"Lily finally let you hold her hand?" Sirius said as he jumped on the banister. The staircases continued to move around and he caught himself before he fell down the gap that lay before him.

"Well…yes…but that's not what I meant," James continued as the staircase returned and they made their way to the Great Hall. "Tonight, we have one area in the Forbidden Forest left to cover and then…we're done the map."

Even Remus turned around to make sure he heard this news correctly. "Are you sure, Prongs?"

"Yes, after 2 years of hard work of watching Mooney doing most of the hard work, after tonight we shall be finished with the Marauder's Map."  
Sirius jumped up and threw his arm around James' shoulder. "Well, mates this calls for a celebration. Everything's going to change after tonight, boys. This is a night to remember!"

At that very moment, the dungeon door opened nearby and no other then Severus Snape emerged.

"And now I want to forget it…"

Snape looked from each Marauder and the disgust in his eye grew as he did. "What are—" Then it hit him and a sinister smile began to form. "Better hurry, Lupin. As much as I would like to see Potter and all join you on your monthly excursions, I know that beastly moon must be calling you."

James and Sirius both took a step forward, their wand hands at the ready, but Remus took hold of each of their shoulders and pulled them back. "Not now. Goodnight, Severus."

Snape let his glare set into their minds for a few more minutes before reopening the dungeon door and saying, "Don't try to be sweet with me you filthy animal."

It took the combined strength of Remus and Peter to tackle their friends to the ground just to stop them from drawing their wands before the Slytherin disappeared behind the door.

"Think happy thoughts!" Peter tried to say. "Think about tonight and the map!"

"Mates, unless you want me to transform right here and now and attack everyone in sight…"  
Sirius got himself out of Peter's weak grip and looked towards the dungeon door. "Well, now that you mention it…" All four boys froze and a sudden and uneasy silence seemed to fill the room as Sirius Black realized what he had just said.

"Too soon?"

"Way too soon, Padfoot."

"He he…sorry."

Remus sighed and let go of his grip on James. "Come on, I only got a few minutes."

* * *

The night air was warmer then usually, which was only an indicator that the spring at Hogwarts would soon come find its beginning. The three boys made their way undetected out of the castle via the Invisibility Cloak while Remus lead the way, uncovered, towards the Whopping Willow. Madam Pomfrey stopped escorting him on his trips two years ago when he miraculously came out almost completely unharmed from his night experience.

If only she knew.

Remus watched as a small rat scurried by him on the ground and climbed its way up the tree to press the hidden knot. He turned around to see his two remaining friends suddenly reveal themselves beneath the cloak. "Okay, just remember—"

"—to wait 5 minutes after the moon fully rises to come in so you can fully transform or whatever," Sirius said routinely.

"And—"

"Do not under any circumstances stay when the moon goes down to watch you change back," James finished.

"I think he has issues with us seeing him in the nude, Prongs."

"Ooh, someone's a little too self-conscience."

Remus just rolled his eyes and started towards the tree saying, "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

They watched him climb into the tree and disappear beneath the roots. Both boys sighed as Peter transformed back in front of him. "It's a shame he doesn't remember much. We always have such a blast"

"Yeah, let's go."

"Has it been 5 minutes?" Peter squeaked as the friends started off. "Good enough," Sirius remarked. "Now let's go."

And with that the three boys disappeared and in their place a dog, a stag, and a rat made their way to the secret entrance that lied beneath the Whopping Willow. After a good two years of experience, they had gotten used to this monthly ritual, but never have they gotten used to the sounds they heard when they first entered the Shrieking Shack. It was no wonder why wizards thought it was haunted. The revolting and blood curling screams they heard always made them pause and try to forget that it came from their best friend. The three Marauders always looked forward to full moons and they knew that Remus did too now that they joined him but nothing could take away from the transformation itself.

The stag looked towards the dog who slowly nodded his head when the noise had died. The animals, like always, slowly approached the room where their friend's spirit had departed and in its place stood the horrific body of the beast. James had to admit that the first time he saw the werewolf, he knew that it couldn't possibly be his gently and nonviolent friend. But unless there was another werewolf at Hogwarts that ate their friend and took his place in the room: that was Remus Lupin.

The monster breathed heavily as it took the life he had not had for a month and examined the room around him. The animals standing there seemed familiar and the blood thirsting desire inside him seemed to die down. The dog instantly barked and began to run around the werewolf, his tail wagging carelessly. The rat soon began to scurry along and the stag lifted his great head up and indicated the door behind them. The night had begun.

* * *

The night seemed different to the animals as it did only minutes before when they were humans. It was as though everything around them had changed.

James loved the feeling of freedom he received from being a stag. It was just so different. All his worries about school (which he usually didn't concern him to begin with) and life just seemed to be in a different reality then where he was now. He was going to miss this when school ended in the summer for good.

As Mooney sniffed a nearby tree, James tried not to think about the coming summer and the decisions their teachers were now forcing them to think about. People should see the world they way the Marauders saw it. Life wasn't supposed to be stressful or boring like his father always made it out to be. Life was supposed to be like it was now. Nothing was going to change that.

But as the night grew and it was about time to return to the Shack, James realized that they only had a few more nightly adventures left at Hogwarts. This thought didn't sit well in the stag's head so he returned to thinking about how they were almost done drawing out the map. After tonight, they would be able to make history.

As they made their way back, James noticed that the dog next to him was looking a little somber also. His tail hung limply between its legs and its eyes looked towards to falling moon with its own sense of longing. James returned to his own thought before shaking his giant head with realization. What the hell was he thinking? This wasn't going to be the last time Remus ever transformed. On the contrary, Remus had a lifetime to deal with his curse. And the Marauders would be there for every full moon he had because that's what they vowed to do. What a little girl he was being!

The moon was almost completely from the sky when the Marauders escorted the werewolf back into the shack. They made their way to the "transforming room" as they called it and each went off to relax until the moon was gone. James was once again lost in his thoughts of how womanly he was being when it happened.

He wasn't quite sure how. One minute, the small familiar rat was on his left twitching in an almost normal sense and the next second, Peter Pettigrew appeared on all fours.

"Sh—"

But he didn't even have the second to complete his thought before the scream came. The werewolf smelled the blood before it questioned where it came from. It turned on instinct and attacked before it even knew what it was attacking. Peter sat there frozen in painful fear of the beast that came. For the briefest second, all their work and practice was lost.

James snapped himself out first. He lowered his heavy head and put himself in front of the petrified boy with the smallest second the spare. The werewolf collided with the head of antlers and rolled back to the floor with a wounded cry. The action brought the other two back to life and before they knew it, the dog and the stag were running from the shack, a terrified rat hung by its tail in the stag's mouth. They didn't stop running until the tunnel ended and they found themselves back in the cool night air and out of the same room and hallway where they left the beast.

The two animals fell to the ground, the small rat rolling around the floor, as three boys took their places. They each took a second to get air and calm themselves down.

"Peter, what the bloody hell?" Sirius got up and stumbled over to where the small boy laid, spread eagle on the ground crying.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I-I didn't m-mean to," Peter whimpered between sobs.

"Two years we've been doing this Pete. And you still manage to screw up," James said as he got himself up. "Ugh," he said with a gag. "I got Wormtail in my mouth."

Sirius paced around as the sun began to rise behind him. The boys had brought a change of clothes like they usually did for Remus or in case they ripped anything. They grabbed their bags from behind the still frozen Willow and put an extra layer on to make up for their lack of fur.

"You're just lucky Prongs saved your arse before you were werewolf meat. Come on, let's go get Mooney." James bent forward and helped the shaking Peter up to his feet. He was about to say something when James said, "Just drop it, Wormtail. Everything's fine."

The boys walked their way back down the tunnel through the same area where they had only moments before ran for their lives. But about halfway through, James had the most bizarre feeling that something was not right. He looked towards Sirius who shared his expression.

The two looked towards each other for only second. Then almost exactly on cue, they bolted towards the room where they left their wolf friend.

The room was its normal emptiness and Remus Lupin lay unconscious on the floor as he usually did after putting his body through such transformations. "Moony?"

The boy didn't stir. It wasn't too weird, James guessed. Remus was just usually up by now or made some indication that he was back among the living. James took a step closer to him but Sirius did what he wanted to do. He walked right up the sleeping werewolf and shook him hard in the shoulder.

"Merlin."

Sirius brought his hand back into James' view. On it was a thick cover of sticky, red, blood.

"James!"

James was there in an instant. He rolled Remus over to his back and saw a hole pierced in his side that was slowly but powerfully leaking.

"Crap," James spat out. "My antler. I must have hit him. Come on Remus, wake up."

Sirius took one of his arms and slowly began to lift him up. "Come on, we need to get him to Madam Pomfrey. Peter, give us a hand."

James ripped off his extra jacket and shoved it hard against Remus' waist, causing him to moan in pain. Well, that was something at least. Where there was life there was hope, right?


	2. Magic

Breakfast was usually a time a joy and food, and relaxation and food, but the morning after their full moon had all four Marauders sitting exhausted and permanently still in their spots. James had his head resting on his feeble hand, his elbow threatening to slip from its position on the table at any minute. Peter's head had crashed long before onto the table and a small stream of drool was escaping from the corner of his mouth. Sirius stared blankly into the nothingness in front of his, his eyes working hard to keep themselves open and his head coming dangerously close to falling into the bowl of milk below him. Remus, on the other hand, looked at his companions half headily and laughed at the view then clutched the bandage around his stomach in the small pain it gave him. Madam Pomfrey was able to heal most of the wound but any sudden movement caused his insides to feel weird.

Yes, it was but another day-after-full-moon hangover that had strongly convinced the Marauders long ago to never intentionally get themselves intoxicated.

"Gryffindors! Attention all 7th year Gryffindors!" All four Marauders sprang to attention as McGonagall made her rounds through the Gryffindor tables. "Please sign up sometime today for your next Wizard Career Session. Remember that graduation is just around the corner!"

"Ugh," James slammed his head to the table and made the silverware clatter. "Why must she be constantly reminding us of that? As if it's not nagging me in the back of my head already."

"Which is why, mate, you might want to move that thought to the front of your head," Remus said as he took a bite of bread. "Quidditch will understand if it's not your regular thinking for a few moments."

"Or…" Sirius said as he sat himself back up. "Keep Quidditch were it is for now and think about what I've been mentioning about going pro!" James smiled at the thought. "Now that's the only job that's really worth working for!"

"Well, at least you have options," Remus said as he watched Peter fall back into a state of unconsciousness next to him. "Oh, quit complaining Moony," Sirius said. "You're the luckiest bloke I know, not having to find work or nothing."

"Oh yeah, now that you put it that way. Who needs money or food or clothes or any source of nourishment?"

"Okay Moony, I'll tell you what," James said as he began to flick oatmeal off his spoon at the heavy sleeping Peter across from him. "You and me will stay unemployed all our lives and just live off my families great fortune. How does that sound?" All the boys laughed.

"Prongs, I would pay to live in that fantasy world you call a head," Remus said as Sirius joined James in his game to try to get oatmeal up Peter's nose.

"Well, looks like I found one way to make money. Sell tours of my mind."

"Job, usually help other people, Prongs, not scar them for life."

The four boys just sat there until finally Peter woke up with a start and asked them all why he felt oatmeal in his ear. (Prongs, mate, for a Chaser you have horrible aim with a spoon.) The other three Marauders laughed until suddenly, Lily Evans came running up to them. Her face looked like she had just seen a boggart and she was clutching a Daily Prophet in her hands.

"Good morning L—Lily what's wrong?" James instantly pushed Sirius over and made room for her next to him at the table.

"Have you seen the paper?" She threw the paper onto the table where a horrifying image of a man stared back up at them. They weren't sure whether they could describe the being as a man but they dared not think of another word to try and describe him with. The look on his face was enough to leave them chilled from the inside out. The headline read "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Strikes Again. 18 More Killed."

"Damn it." James reached over and pulled his arm around her and small tears began to emerge. "Why isn't anyone bloody doing anything about him?"

"Well, I doubt it's as easy as 'doing something'," Remus said as he picked up the paper and began to read. "He is the greatest Dark Wizard of all times and it's not like people are standing around and just watching it all happen."  
"Rubbish," Sirius exclaimed as he banged his spoon against the table. "He may be the greatest Dark Wizard but we got Dumbledore on our side, right? That has to count for something."  
Peter peered over towards the paper. "He's so scary though. Everyone's terrified for their lives now. If it was anyone else, he would have been defeated by now. Things aren't like they used to be."

"I reckon he's right," Remus said as he opened to the next page. "The whole magical world's been turned upside down since he started attacking people. Magic may never be the same."

At that Lily burst into tears again. Remus dropped the paper horrified. "Oh…no…I'm sorry, Lily…I didn't mean it like that!"

"Way to go, Moony," James said as he held her against her chest. "Usually I have to be worried of Padfoot upsetting Lily like that." Sirius spat out some of the water he was drinking on a still worried Peter. "Oh, give the bloke a brake, Prongs. I've could have said loads worse. Plus, we have to be dainty with Moony. It's still his time of the month technically."

James and Peter burst into laughter as Remus peered over the paper at Sirius with deadly eyes. Surprisingly, Lily found herself laughing too. "Oh that's mean," she said as she composed herself from James' upper body. "Hilarious, but mean."

"That's my girl."

Remus rolled his eyes and hid himself again behind the paper, but nothing could block out the sound of the laughter coming from the Gryffindor table.

* * *

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, if I could have a word," Professor McGonagall said as the Marauders passed her in the hallway later that day. "Oh and I suppose you two might want to join us Mr. Lupin and Pettigrew."

The four boys looked at each other before turning and following McGonagall in the direction she was heading. "What do you suppose she wants?" Peter whispered as they stayed five steps behind the teacher. "We couldn't have done anything too bad," Sirius joined in. "She brought Moony along. You don't think…"

Remus stopped for a moment on the staircase with a gasp and looked towards his friends. She couldn't have found out. They had been too careful with their planning and they've been doing it the same way for two years. She just couldn't have found out about their monthly trips. But hope seemed to be less evident as they went in the direction of Dumbledore's office…

James took a look back at Remus' petrified face before following the professor up the staircase that led to the headmaster's office. Over the course of their almost seven years here, Sirius and himself have found themselves in that very room countless of times. And beside from their outing the night before, he honestly couldn't think of a reason why Dumbledore would want to see them now. Maybe Madame Pomfrey really did tell him about Moony's wound…

Sirius gave a little shrug to the situation. So what if the headmaster found out? They graduated in a few months anyway, what the worst that could happen?

When they reached the top of the staircase into the feared office, they found the headmaster standing by the window with a letter in his hand. At the entrance of the boys and McGonagall, he kept his head down at what he was reading but said to them, "Good afternoon boys, if you would just take a seat, and you may calm down Mr. Lupin. I assure you that you are not in trouble of some kind." He looked up from his letter and stared at them through his half mood glasses. Even though he said they hadn't done anything wrong, James couldn't help but shake the feeling that their conversation wasn't going to be very lighthearted.

As the Marauders took their seats, McGonagall walked over to her place behind the headmaster's desk and Dumbledore took a seat and placed his letter in front of him. As James leaned over to try and read it, he saw the familiar and daunting face of evil staring back at him from another paper...

"I suppose you boys have already read this morning's paper?" He picked up the Daily Prophet and took one more look at the picture before turning his eyes back to the boys. "Quite dreadful. I haven't seen the magical world in this much fear for a long time. And it's almost unfortunate to say that this very paper is the reason why I have called you boys up here and ruined your Saturday."

The Marauders looked at each other. They didn't see that coming. What could they possibly do with Voldemort?

"Now, as you are probably well aware. The matter of dealing with and fighting Lord Voldemort—" (Peter let out a squeal) "—yes I use his full name Mr. Pettigrew. As I was saying, this issue is not being taken lightly. We have some very powerful, very good witches and wizards risking their very existence to make the world safe, but I am sorry to say that our mission is not going as successfully as we would hope. I assure you that we will not give up the fight but we were hoping to find more young wizards who cared to help our cause…"

James and Sirius almost jumped out of their seats with a gasp. Smiles the size of their wands began to grow across their faces.

"You mean—"

"—you want us—"

"—we're going to fight—"

"—and you want us to help—"

"—and we get to—"

"—seriously—"

"—we're going to kick Voldemort's—"

"—boys!" McGonagall interrupted in her usual strict and terrifying tone. "You are all of adult age now and we expect you to act in such a manner. I assure you that this is a very serious. There will be no room for your usual games and if you wish to take any part in what we have in store for you we expect your attitude to be the least of your improvements!"

James and Sirius slumped back into their chairs and used their usual care to block out whatever McGonagall was trying to give them. They were too excited to listen anyway. Remus on the other hand couldn't decide if he should feel shocked, confused, or jubilant. He would have a job. Peter looked as if he was going to pee himself.

Dumbledore smiled slightly to himself as he studied each boy's face. He picked up his letter again and said, "I want to tell you gentlemen about something called The Order of the Phoenix…"


	3. Moony

A chance to fight Voldemort. The more James said it in his head, the more he couldn't believe it. This was what he wanted. The puzzle pieces finally seemed to fit. It was like he was always meant to do this but the idea had never even crossed his mind. And with his friends alongside him, and Lily, life was going to be okay.

A month had passed since Dumbledore told them his proposal. The Marauders were actually on the way to their next full moon but they all were dead quiet in their own thoughts. He and Sirius instantaneously jumped for joyfulness the moment they had left the office. Remus just stood there in disbelief. First, Dumbledore gave him an education and now a job. Well, sort of a job. Only Peter seemed hesitant about the offer. The mere thought of Voldemort made him want to pee himself (and he actually did that one time). But James and Sirius reassured him that they would all be together to keep each other safe and that seemed to calm him down at the time.

The Marauders always looked forward to their full moon escapades more than anything else at Hogwarts. But that night as they made the familiar trip down the castle, a completely different excitement filled their minds. Their map was finished and they only had a few more Hogwarts full moons to look forward to. The non-monstrous Marauders had already convinced Remus that since they would be together after school, they would still go on their monthly adventures but they knew that when the time came for their last full moon at Hogwarts, it would be something greatly missed.

There was only one thing that was irking the back of James' mind to kill his fun at the moment. It was something Dumbledore had said after he explained what they were to do as members of the Order.

"Now I am sure you boys understand what I am asking of you. You understand the importance of this matter but I must assure you that you do not know everything. Matters are far graver than you could ever imagine so if you four are to except this offer I need your word that any mischief and trouble making of your past stays exactly there. We cannot afford any mistakes due to with the innocence of adolescent tomfoolery. Lives are at stake and innocent people could be put through unimaginable suffering if even the slightest mishap occurs. By taking this position you will no longer be boys. You will unfortunately see some horrible things. But you four are extraordinary wizards—yes even you Mr. Pettigrew—but that is precisely the manner in which I need to see you perform. Can you do that for me?"

Why had Dumbledore even bothered asking that of them? Sure, their history wasn't the most convincing but James was almost insulted that Dumbledore thought they wouldn't take this seriously. Sure, times were different but they were too. James knew that he became a lot mature when he started dating Lily. Lily even wanted to join them when she heard about the Order. She would have told him the same if she believed he wouldn't take Voldemort seriously. He's even gathered the courage to say his name. Things were different but that didn't mean he didn't know how to keep up with it.

"Well, see you blokes in the morning." James looked up just to see Remus disappear into the Whopping Willow. He hadn't even realized they had made it this far. He turned to see that Sirius and Peter shared the same expression as himself. Things were different alright.

The night went by pretty normally for them. Well, as normal as guarding a werewolf outside school in your animagus form could be anyway. James tried to enjoy himself but Dumbledore's words attached themselves to the back of his mind. He felt almost impulsive, as if he wanted to prove to Dumbledore how responsible they all were, how much he himself had changed.

For the first time in 2 years, the full moon had ended before James had even realized it. One moment the four creatures were sniffing around the forest and in the next, the small rat was leading them back to the Shack. They all knew this time together was important (even though Moony never did remember much) and James felt some level of remorse knowing that they were wasting time. But things wouldn't change too much. They would all be side by side fighting the Dark Arts soon enough. School was fun and important or whatever but wasn't all this to prepare them for the future and whatnot? Maybe even their full moons at Hogwarts were to prepare them for an even greater adventure in the real world.

James finally decided to put aside all these nostalgic thoughts aside as he stopped in the hallway of the Shrieking Shack and watched the werewolf disappear into the room nearby. Sirius had curled himself up on the floor and closed his eyes as Peter squeaked and ran circles around James' feet…hooves. James was never much of a thinker. Instinct usually led the way…or self-centeredness. Thinking was never a good thing for him to do but with the news Dumbledore had given him, he found that it was all he was doing lately.

Like he said, thinking was never a good thing.

This could be one of the last full moons at Hogwarts they could have. Sure, there could be one more but what if something happened before then. Suddenly, that impulsive feeling he felt moments before returned. There was something he always wanted to do since their first full moon.

And with that he was off. Behind him he could hear a distant squeak and a bark but at that point his legs had their own intentions. Moony was going to kill him but he just had to see for himself.

He heard the scream before he even entered the room, if it could even be called a scream. It sounded like an old radio tuning in and out of the scream of a human and the howl of a wolf. At times, one was louder than the other. James regretted his decision the moment he stepped into that room. Unfortunately, his lost the knowledge of how to move.

The werewolf has kneeling on the floor, pain radiating throughout his body. Its nails dug deep into the wooden boards as it ripped them apart from the floor they were nailed to. Its fur stood completely on ends as it lifted his head and gave one more horrifying howl. The elongated howl finally became the scream of the poor boy James recognized as his friend. The it was slowly becoming a he.

It was as though its fur was retracting back into the boy's body, his hunched back and deformed claws slowly and painfully shaping themselves to his original form. The twisted eyes and snout were pushing themselves back into the boy's already struggling face, wishing to hide themselves if only for another month. They tried to drive themselves into the agonizing body that had already taken on another form.

James hadn't realized that he himself had already transformed so effortlessly back into his given form. He was able to do it with such ease. Out of the corner of his eye there were the true forms of Sirius and Peter looked just as horrified as he felt. Finally, the wolf before them was no more and the weak and feeble figure of their friend slowly fell to the ground almost simply.

The Marauders didn't know how long they stood there for. It was finally Sirius who moved towards their packed bags and pulled out a blanket to place on their comatose friend. Peter finally fell to the ground himself and quietly began to sob. James' eyes never left Remus' face that now looked peaceful as it was still unraveling itself from the warped fashion that had implanted itself in James' mind.

This had been the pain that Dumbledore had been referring to. Innocent people getting hurt and James didn't even know the half of it. He had forgotten the definition of pain he had before that night and realized exactly what Dumbledore was trying to tell them. Remus had been through this for most of his life, which included the 7 years they had known him. They knew he went through something but they hadn't realized what it was until that night. People out there in the real world were getting hurt because some madman wanted to rule the world. Somehow James knew this but it never dawned on him that even though graduation was near, he had so much more to learn, so much more to realize.

The three young men sat there for the rest of the night as they waited for their fallen friend to awaken. Not one of them said a word but they each knew what the other was thinking. They were ready to make that change they always talked about but they finally realized what kind of a change was needed to be made. Changes occurred every day, every month if you were a werewolf, but the only changes that are worth adapting to are those that are made for the better.


End file.
